The programme is implemented by the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation and is aimed at supporting educators who work with Ukrainian children abroad.
The event was attended by representatives and directors of Ukrainian Saturday schools, including “Rodovid”, Lastivka, the Ukrainian Sunday School in Vejle, Forening for ukrainere i Odense, the Ukrainian Sunday School in Stockholm, UA FRITID, and the Union of Ukrainians in Kolding.
The event also brought together representatives of civic organisations and leading specialists in psychology and history education. The main theme of the meeting was “How to Talk to Students About Tragedies?”, the challenges of education under conditions of war and forced migration, and the search for modern approaches to working with children who have experienced trauma.
A welcoming address was delivered by Valerii Kravchenko, Counsellor of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Denmark.
The event also included Lesia Ihnatyk-Eriksen, adviser to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in the Kingdom of Denmark and head of the public organisation Hjælp Ukrainske Børn, as well as Lesia Rykhalska, head of Lastivka — the largest Ukrainian organisation in Denmark.
A key part of the programme was a lecture by Tine Hede, psychologist and VISO specialist at DIGNITY — the Danish Institute Against Torture, on “How to Talk to Students About Tragedies?”
Tine Hede focused on recognising signs of psychological trauma and PTSD in children, and adapting the learning process to the needs of children who have experienced war or forced migration.
An important intellectual element of the meeting was a conversation with Danish historian Carsten Flaedelius — emeritus lecturer at the Saxo Institute of the University of Copenhagen, specialist in Balkan and Eastern European history, chairman of the Danish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and laureate of the Rosenkjær Prize of Danish Radio. His address, “Rethinking History After Totalitarian Regimes: Challenges and the Teacher’s Responsibility”, examined the experience of Baltic countries in overcoming the Soviet legacy in history education and possible paths for Ukraine after the end of the war. The lecture was delivered in Danish with simultaneous Ukrainian interpretation.
The practical part of the first day included work with the educational guide “Human Rights Under Totalitarian Regimes” and an interactive session “Freedom and Responsibility”.
The second day was devoted to practical work and moderated by Natalia Omelchuk — curator of educational programmes at the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, initiator and coordinator of the “Roots and Wings: History That Unites” programme.
Participants worked on thematic blocks “The Struggle for Rights” and “Memory”, which became a space for deep discussions about the teacher’s role in shaping students’ critical thinking and civic awareness. Participants actively exchanged experience, methodologies and pedagogical approaches when working with children affected by war.
The second meeting of the “Roots and Wings: History That Unites” programme demonstrated the need for systematic work with teachers — both in the psychological and methodological dimensions.
The Pylyp Orlyk Foundation’s “Roots and Wings: History That Unites” educational programme is gradually establishing itself as an important international platform for the professional development of educators and for preserving the cultural, historical and educational identity of Ukrainian children who today live and study outside Ukraine.
The main partner of the event was the public organisation Hjælp Ukrainske Børn.
The event was held with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Denmark.
Photos: Anna Bovkun and Svitlana Kvitnitska
